dijous, 28 de març de 2013

SALVEM UPTON PARK: OLYMPIC STADIUM NO, NO, NO!

SALVEM UPTON PARK:

NO A L'ESTADI OLIMPIC.

DIRECTIVA DIMISSIÓ.

Goodbye Upton Park: West Ham have fond memories of their famous old home as they prepare to move to the Olympic Stadium

Graced by some of England's finest -
from Bobby Moore to Sir Trevor Brooking and modern day internationals
like Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe -
Upton Park has seen plenty of action.Well,
it's situated near Upton Park tube, but it is actually called the
Boleyn Ground and many West Ham supporters will be sad the club is
departing for the Olympic Stadium.

Bobby Moore, pictured next to Upton Park by Thames TV for a programme called 'This Sporting Land' in 1977

But with a capacity of 35,016
and a succession of sell-outs, the club has decided they need a new home
and will move to Stratford for the 2016-17 season. Cue jokes from Spurs
supporters about sales of season tickets for the new stadium going at
'three for the price of one'.Supporters
always become nostalgic at the prospect of moving, so we thought we
would give them something to remember Upton Park by (and there is always
next week's home game with West Bromwich to fill them with joy).

Modern day: A more recent image of Upton Park, taken with a fish eye lens

Next to the loos: Moore (leather coat) looks on as his team-mates work out at Upton Park

Construction scene: The new West Stand is built at Upton Park

Since the first game - a 3-0 win
against Millwall in 1904 - it has been West Ham's familiar home,
although there has been plenty of recent re-modernisation, with stands
named after Moore and Brooking.This
is the review from stadiumguide.com: 'In the early 20th century, West
Ham played its home matches at the Memorial Ground in Canning Town, but
after a dispute over the rent was forced to look for a new home. They
found a bare field used by a Roman Catholic school, and soon reached an
agreement with the Catholic authorities for its use.'

Pitchside: West Ham fan Alf Garnett of BBC series 'Til Death Us Do Part' drops into Upton Park with a rattle and sandwich board

Action from 1981 involving Billy Bonds and
Chelsea's Peter Rhodes-Brown. West Ham won 4-0 on their way to the
Second Division title

The
guide goes on: 'West Ham played its first match at Boleyn Ground on the
1st of September 1904. Just over 10,000 spectators saw the home side
beat Millwall 3-0.'Boleyn
Ground received its name from a house that stood next to the ground,
called Boleyn Castle, and which supposedly had been home to Anne Boleyn.
These days Boleyn Ground is more commonly referred to as Upton Park.

Fervent support: West Ham United fans unfurl a banner during a game with Bolton in 2007

'The ground was initially a
basic affair, but got soon expanded, first in 1919 with a new East Stand
and later in 1925 with a new West Stand and terracing at the short
ends. This lifted capacity to about 40,000.'Boleyn Ground got heavily damaged in the Second World War when it got hit by a V-1 bomb, but was soon rebuilt.

Changing times: The modern Upton Park in 2006

'In 1961 a roof was added to
the North Bank, which meant that all stands had cover. The ground
underwent its last major change before the 1990s when in 1969 a new East
Stand was built.'The Boleyn Ground recorded its highest attendance of 42,322 during a match with Tottenham Hotspur in 1970.'In
August 1944, a V-1 flying bomb landed on the south-west corner of the
pitch and forced the team to play its games away from home while repairs
were undertaken. West Ham won all nine games on the road. They will
hope for similar success at their new 'home' at the Olympic Stadium.

In 1980, West Ham to play behind closed doors
against Castilla in the European Cup Winners' Cup after crowd trouble in
the away leg. They won 5-1 after extra time.

Billy Bonds leads out West Ham for the Castilla game behind closed doors. The press box is full.

David Cross (arms raised) scores for West Ham in the 5-1 win against Castilla in front of the empty terraces

Closed circuit TV is introduced at Upton Park in the 60's to monitor the 'crowds'

Workmen at Upton Park test crush barriers

Ray Stewart moves to challenge Wally Downes of Wimbledon, later to become a West Ham coach